The United States of America, more commonly known as the United States, USA or U.S. is a federal constitutional republic situated mostly in central North America. Its fourty-eight contiguous states and Washington D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean such as Puerto Rico.

Bullworth is a town in New England, and is where the game Bully takes place, apparently as a bridge between the 3D and HD Universe. GTA IV contains references to Bully, as Bully contains references to GTA III's Era.

Carcer City is an industrial city possibly based in Liberty State, and is where the game Manhunt takes place. It takes place in the 3D Universe. There are references to Manhunt in GTA III during a news segment on the radio saying that Carcer City is not too far from Liberty City.

In all the games, the cities are always located on several islands connected by bridges. They appear to be isolated islands in the middle of the sea, but this is down to game limitations. Rockstar Games have stated that they avoid placing unreachable pieces of land within the games to keep the complete feel to the game. There are multiple islands, and every game starts with certain bridges blocked, restricting the player from exploring the entire city at the start of the game. There is always a story as to why the bridges are shut, sometimes relative to the location of the game, for example; the bridges in Vice City are shut due to hurricane warnings, while in Liberty City they are blocked due to to terrorist threats against the city (HD Era), and bridges in San Andreas are blocked because of a major earthquake and because Officer Tenpenny told CJ that he can't leave town. These restrictions are lifted as the story progresses, with the earlier reason for them being closed having been blown over, unlocking new parts of the city/state.

Even though the Grand Theft Auto video games are made in the United Kingdom, specifically Edinburgh, Scotland, they are released first in the United States of America, and subsequently Canada followed by the UK and Europe. The games are primarily based on American popular culture, and nearly all have been set in fictitious (or copied) locations on the American mainland. The music, the clothes, the slang, and the abundance of vehicles in the game are considerably of American origin.

During the mission 'Practice Swing' in The Ballad of Gay Tony, Tony refers to Rocco as being under the age of consent in Utah, thus confirming the State of Utah's existence in the GTA universe.

Tony also refers Ohio as stated in a Liberty Tree article: " If I wanted to go to bed at 8 pm everyday, I would go to Ohio. Not that there's anything wrong with Ohio. I just used it as an example".

New Austin, Nuevo Paraiso, and West Elizabeth are unknown to be in the same universe, as there are no references to indicate this, but nothing to contradict it either. However, the real states of New York and California are mentioned in the game so all 3 regions may be in a different universe.

Politics

The writers of the game seem to have liberal political beliefs, as they often parody conservatives in a negative light. Most of the Grand Theft Auto titles are set during a Republican presidency (apart from GTA 1, GTA 2, Advance and Liberty City Stories, all during the Clinton administration.)

3D Universe

1961-1963: John F. Kennedy - In GTA San Andreas, set in 1992, The Truth mentions John F. Kennedy and his assassination.

1986 (Vice City): Alex Shrub, a fictional right-wing Florida congressman whose name and mannerisms are based on George H.W. Bush, voices his intention to run for president, although he fails after his affair with porn star Candy Suxxx becomes public (all of this happening in 1986). Said affair became a very public spectacle, even across the country in San Andreas where photos of Shrub and Suxxx are seen on Carl Johnson's wall.